Reel for pile fabrics



March 28, 1961 T, KESSLER 2,976,987

REEL FOR PILE FABRICS 7 Filed July 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Theodore 1? fiessler March 28, 1961 P, LER 2,976,987

REEL FOR PILE FABRICS Filed July 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Tizeadoreflfessler Unite States 2,976,987 REEL FOR PILE FABRICS Theodore P. Kessler, 122 Bridge St., Rancocas, NJ. Filed July 10, 1958, Ser. No. 747,761

13 Claims. (Cl. 206-51) This invention relates to frames or reels for holding such pile fabrics as those requiring care that there shall be no crushing of the goods as by rubbing contact between layers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a reel which is rugged but inexpensive as it is intended generally for single use, which can be nested for shipment yet is easy to assemble, and which when loaded with fabric will fit within readily obtainable containers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a frame end which has a truss structure greatly strengthening the usual radial hook strips against bending because of the tension exerted by'the convolutions of the goods when mounted in the frame or reel in the usual spiral form.

A further object of the invention lies in the optional means for holding the cardboard tube spacer firmly in place before the pile fabric is wound on the reel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slightly dished support plate which. will "form the upper truss member, the latter having a connection with the usual hook strips of the end frame such that while the support plate may readily be assembled it is quite difficult to disassemble this upper truss member.

A still further object ofthe invention lies in a reel so constructed that its weight is sharply reduced over present reels having the same strength and capacity.

Additional objects are covered in the claims as for example means cooperating with steel carton bands for preventing axial movements of the frame end pieces or heads.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation of one of the two end frames showing the support plate truss member ready forassembly by a slight turn;

Fig. 2 is a central section through a support plate illustrated with an exaggerated amount of dishing;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken approximately on a diagonal of the end frame showing the spacer in place but omitting the support plate;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a carton with the reel end in place; and

Fig. 5 is a detail showing a corner of a support plate.

In Fig. 1 the main plate is a flat square sheet of metal, preferably having a plurality of spacer locating and locking means equispaced about a central hole 12 to receive a tension rod, not shown, which passes inside of the hollow spacer 14 (Fig. 4) which is a fairly rugged cardboard tube usually a little short of three inches in diameter and having a radial thickness of from A2 to inch. Extending radially from the base plate 10 are four hook strips 16 permanently secured to the main plate as by welding indicated at 17 so that all eight of which slots may be substituted, press into the carton when a steel band is applied and thus prevent movement of the frame end in the carton. The ribs also facilitate slipping a loaded reel into amend-closed carton.

Each of the hooks 22 follows fairly closely modern practice, except that the hooks are-strongly reinforced as by the integral gusset 26 and that the inner hook faces 27 are parallel to the flange 19. At its inner end the hook plate differs considerably from general practice in that a shoulder 30 is formed in the portion 31 which is an integral continuation of the back of the last hook.

the welds can be'made simultaneously, the welds extend-.

ing through a short flange;19 extending normal to the main web 20. p The flange'19 terminates short of theweb 20 as at 21 and the web continues on for the length of say two or three hooks 22 so the end portion 23, ribbed as at 2fl,'is the full size of the web and is bent at an angle of 45 degrees so that each of the bent ends 23 forms a stop pad which enga'gesthe container panel (Fig. 4). This positions the frame end nicely within the container and eliminates danger of the frame end penetrating any portion of the carton which usuallyis of reasonably thick cardboard or the.like.- The ribs 24, for

Preferably the portion 31 is recessed slightly forming a notch 33 and the face 34 may be alined with the inner edge 36 of the hook strip but is preferably spaced a bit farther away from the coaxial axis of the end frame and of the reel.

The reel end may consist of merely the main plate 10 with its substantially integrally secured four hook strips 16 but since the strips, when the reel is loaded, are wholly in tension, i.e. pulled toward the hooks of the opposite end, there is a considerable amount of tension tending to warp the end plate 10. This could be helped materially by welding a suitable compression truss member to the tops of the inner ends of the hook strips but such a construction would require twice as much shipping space as would be required if the smaller truss member were a separate piece. Such an improvement would be partic ularly useful if the separate piece could readily be assembled by the initial purchaser. It would be still more advantageous if the additional truss member were diflicult to remove once in place as this would insure the desired strength since the Weight of the suspended velvet, plush, or other long pile material always'tends to bend the frames inward and never outward. The support plate 37, as can readily be seen, takes compression extremely well and does so even more if the support plate is slightly dished as is shown'in exaggerated form in Fig. Zand is an optional feature providing a bit of spring action.

The support plate is best seen in Fig. 1 wherein this support plate 37 is shown resting lightly on the four shoulders or ledges 30 just preparatory to being turned through a slight clockwise angle, which will lock the support plate in final position. The support plate has the necessary large centralopening 39 to accommodate the central cardboard tube spacer 14. The plate is preferably square with two opposite corners truncated and slightly rounded as at 40 while the two opposite corner-s each have a recess face 41 making an angle with each of the side faces 43 of half a right angle. The tooth 45 has a radial face 46 perpendicular to the recess face and forms a'stop which engages the side of the proximate hook strip preventing further clockwise turning of the support plate. Preferably there is a slight projection 47 on the side of the recess face 41 from the stop tooth 45, this being very convenient as the face 41 thereupon becomes a notch of the same width as the thickness of plate 37, preventing counterclockwise movement which would release the-support plate. p

The optional dishing indicated at 48 in Fig. 2 is just suflicientto impart a degree of springiness tothe support plate 37 which is of steel. To assemble the support plate with the hook strips to form a truss of parallel plates it is merely necessary to lay the support plate on the four ledges 30 and then turn the support plate through the slight angle necessary to spring the edge of theweb 20 into the notch formed by the face 41, the 'tooth' ifi,

andthe projection 47. The movement maybe; facilitated by holding the two opposite hook strips while bending them down ever soslightly and turning the support plate with the thumb of one. 'handand the forefinger of the opposite hand. Thisis not necessarybut does help an operator with nottoo strong hands.

A further optional feature which has been found very satisfactory in practice is the provision of a plurality of prongs 50 extending inwardly from the circular hole 39 and preferablybounded on each side by slight slots 51 to increase the length of' the prong. These punched out prongs have no usefulness once the fabric is.wound on the reel but when the reel is empty the prongs are quite useful in preventing movement of the spacer tube 14 from the main plate even though the tube is held quite well by the four locking means which, as illustrated, are prongs 53 having between them a slot 54 just slightly narrower than the thickness of the cardboard spacer tube.

While the two frame ends and the spacer together form a reel which can be used as a means for shipping the goods, I intend to box the reel in any available carton, as for example a large cardboard tube 55 square in cross section, preferably nicely fitting the four stops 23, and with carton ends 56 resting against the main plate 10 and the flanges 1h of the hook strips. The four edges of the carton ends illustrated are bent first outwardly as at 557 and then reversely as at 58 to receive snugly the tube 55. The container is completed by a tape or band 50 preferably of steel and binding the ends in place. After shipping, the carton tube is cut laterally just inside of the four stops 24, the carton ends slipped free axially and then the square tube '55 is removed in any desired manner. The steel strip as is used with any of the customary carton boxes and locks the frae ends securely in place whether ribs 24 or holes are at the bend forming the stop pads 23.

The fabric maker usually buys the cartons, the spacers, and the reels separately. For shipping, the frame ends are nested together, the tops of the hooks of one frame resting against the short flange 19 of the opposite strip. To do this, however, the support plate must not be assembled. By nesting the main frames with their books inward, just half of the cubic space is needed as would be needed if the support plates were assembled; hence, these are merely shipped in a separate package, this materially reducing the shipping charges. When the filled carton is shipped by the purchaser of the separate pieces, the shipping charge is reduced by the lighter weight of the present reel which amounts to a saving of close to a couple of pounds, which saving is quite appreciable with the usual large shipments.

What I claim is:

l. A frame end for a pile goods reel comprising a main plate and four hook strips extending radially from the plate at right angles to each other, each strip at its outer end being bent in the same direction through an angle of 135 degrees to form four stop members defining a square of which the four strips are diagonals, each stop member being outwardly ribbed at its junction with its integral strip, whereby the frame end will fit'inside of a carton square in cross section with each stop member engaging both sides of the carton at the proximate corner.

2. A frame end plate for a pile goods reel comprising four hook strips arranged radially with their inner ends. spaced apart and a pair of spaced parallel plates engaging the inner ends of the'hook strips so as to form. a truss, one of said plates being a compression member.

3. The device of. claim 2 in which the compression member is dished and engages notches in the end face of each of the hook plates.

4. The device of claim 2 in which the compression plate is a readily detachable support plate and has a hole to receive snugly a circular spacer and has prongs ex 7. The device of claim 6 in which the support plate is square with two opposite corners of the square truncated and the other two corners each have a stop to engage the side of a proximate hook strip.

8. The device of claim 2 in which the compression plate is squarewith a portion of each corner removed, two opposite corners of the plate each having a radial notch to-engage the proximate hook strip.

9. A truss frame end for a pile goods reel comprising a square main plate, a square support plate spaced parallel to the main plate, four flanged hook strips extending radially from the main plate and permanently secured thereto, each of the inner ends of the hook strips having a frictional engagement with the support plate, a plurality of said frictional engagements including a ledge on the hook strip upon which the support plate rests, a notch extending inwardly from the ledge and a notch in the support plate receiving the proximate hook strip to prevent angular movement of the support plate with respect to the name plate, the. other frictional engagements including the ledge and notch on opposite hook strips and a truncated corner of the support plate.

10. A shipping package for pile fabrics having a main tubular section square in cross section and formed of readily cuttable paper board, a pair of square end panels closing the outer carton tube, a tape engaging the periphery of the two carton end panels and the outer carton tube. a reel within the carton comprising two reel heads, spacing means engaging the two heads, a series of plush-holding hook strips on each head, each hook strip having an integral end making an angle of with the main body of the hook strip so as to engage and be parallel to a side of the carton tube and of a size to engage the main tubular section of the carton to approximately the same extent as the tape, and a roll of pile fabric wound in convolutions on the hook strips and holding the reel heads firmly against the spacing means, whereby the fabric of the roll may be unrolled as desired when the main tubular section is cut inwardly of each of the two tapes, leaving the two frame ends secured to the reel but spaced from a position which would interfere with the removal of the fabric from the reel.

11. A shipping package comprising a carton square in cross section, a pile goods reel within the carton having two frame heads each having at each of its four corners a bent stop member engaging the two adjacent sides of the carton and means at the bend of each stop member for deforming a corner of the carton to prevent axial movement of either frame end within the carton, and a steel band secured to each carton end to compress-the carton corners against said deforming means.

12. A generally square steel support plate having a circular central hole, two opposite corners of the plate being truncated and each of the other corners being recessed by a right angular recess forming a pointed tooth, one face of the tooth being radial and therother face being formed by one side of the support plate. a

13. The plate of claim 12 in which equispaced prongs extend inwardly beyond the margin of the hole, each prong being bounded on both sides by a slot extending inwardly into the plate by a distance at least one third of the length of the prong.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,110 .Banes June 22, 1920 1,400,529 Copeland Dec. 20, 1921 2,315,532 Lucia Apr. 6, 19.43 2,789,745 Negoro a Apr. 23, 1957 2,833,456 Welshenbach May 6, 1958 7 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,148 Great Britain I889 8Q6,8511 Germany June.18,1195.1 

